The
Gallienus usurpers were the
usurpersUsurpers are individuals or groups of individuals who obtain and maintain the power or rights of another by force and without legal authority. Usurpers were a common feature of the late Roman Empire, especially from the crisis of the third century onwards, when political instability became the...
who claimed
imperial powerThe Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office: Latin titles such as imperator , augustus, caesar and princeps were all associated with it...
during the reign of
GallienusPublius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus ruled the Roman Empire as co-emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260, and then as the sole Roman Emperor from 260 to 268. He took control of the empire at a time when it was undergoing great crisis...
(253–268, the first part of which he shared with his father
ValerianPublius Licinius Valerianus , commonly known in English as Valerian or Valerian I, was the Roman Emperor from 253 to 260.-Origins and rise to power:...
). The existence of usurpers during the
Crisis of the Third CenturyThe Crisis of the Third Century was a period in which the Roman Empire nearly collapsed under the combined pressures of invasion, civil war, plague, and economic depression...
was very common, and the high number of usurpers fought by Gallienus is due to his long rule; 15 years was a long reign by the standards of the 3rd century
Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
.
After Valerian's defeat and capture by the Persians in 260, his son Gallienus become the only emperor.
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The
Gallienus usurpers were the
usurpersUsurpers are individuals or groups of individuals who obtain and maintain the power or rights of another by force and without legal authority. Usurpers were a common feature of the late Roman Empire, especially from the crisis of the third century onwards, when political instability became the...
who claimed
imperial powerThe Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office: Latin titles such as imperator , augustus, caesar and princeps were all associated with it...
during the reign of
GallienusPublius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus ruled the Roman Empire as co-emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260, and then as the sole Roman Emperor from 260 to 268. He took control of the empire at a time when it was undergoing great crisis...
(253–268, the first part of which he shared with his father
ValerianPublius Licinius Valerianus , commonly known in English as Valerian or Valerian I, was the Roman Emperor from 253 to 260.-Origins and rise to power:...
). The existence of usurpers during the
Crisis of the Third CenturyThe Crisis of the Third Century was a period in which the Roman Empire nearly collapsed under the combined pressures of invasion, civil war, plague, and economic depression...
was very common, and the high number of usurpers fought by Gallienus is due to his long rule; 15 years was a long reign by the standards of the 3rd century
Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
.
Uprisings after the defeat of Valerian
After Valerian's defeat and capture by the Persians in 260, his son Gallienus become the only emperor. However, many uprisings happened, both in the East, with the formation of the
Palmyrene EmpireThe Palmyrene Empire was a splinter empire that broke off the Roman Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century. It encompassed the Roman provinces of Syria, Palestine, Egypt and large parts of Asia Minor....
, and in the West, with the birth of the
Gallic EmpireThe Gallic Empire is the modern name for a breakaway realm that existed from 260 to 274. It originated during the Roman Empire's Crisis of the Third Century....
. With the uncertainty of the period, the legions wanted to restore Roman power in the wake of Valerian's defeat, against the pressure of the barbarian people in the west and the Persians in the East.
Usurpers in the West
- 260 – Ingenuus
Ingenuus was a Roman military commander who held a senior military command in Pannonia. He had been charged with the military education of Caesar Cornelius Licinius Valerianus, the young son of Emperor Gallienus, but after the boy's death in 258, his position became perilous.Ingenuus saw a chance...
- Chosen by the population and the army of the province of PannoniaPannonia is an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
. Killed for GallienusPublius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus ruled the Roman Empire as co-emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260, and then as the sole Roman Emperor from 260 to 268. He took control of the empire at a time when it was undergoing great crisis...
by Manius Acilius AureolusFor the Frankish ruler of Aragon, see Aureolus of Aragon.Aureolus was a Roman military commander and would-be usurper. He was one of the so-called Thirty Tyrants who populated the reign of the Emperor Gallienus. Of humble Thraco-Roman origins, he was 'made' by the Emperor Gallienus and proved...
in 260 during the battle at Mursa.
- 260 – Regalianus
P. C Regalianus was a Roman usurper against Gallienus.The main source of information is the unreliable Historia Augusta. Other sources are Eutropius, who calls him Trebellianus, and Aurelius Victor and the Epitome, which call him Regillianus. About his origin, the Tyranni Triginta says he was a...
- After his victory over the SarmatiansThe Sarmatians, Sarmatæ or Sauromatæ were a people of Ancient Iranian origin. Mentioned by classical authors, they migrated from Central Asia to the Ural Mountains around fifth century B.C...
in 260, he was killed by a coalition of his own people and of the Roxolani.
- 260-268 - Postumus
Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus was a Roman emperor of Batavian origin. He usurped power from Gallienus in 260 and formed the so called Gallic Empire...
- Ruled over a Gallic EmpireThe Gallic Empire is the modern name for a breakaway realm that existed from 260 to 274. It originated during the Roman Empire's Crisis of the Third Century....
until his murder in 268.
- 268 – Manius Acilius Aureolus
For the Frankish ruler of Aragon, see Aureolus of Aragon.Aureolus was a Roman military commander and would-be usurper. He was one of the so-called Thirty Tyrants who populated the reign of the Emperor Gallienus. Of humble Thraco-Roman origins, he was 'made' by the Emperor Gallienus and proved...
- Initially a GallienusPublius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus ruled the Roman Empire as co-emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260, and then as the sole Roman Emperor from 260 to 268. He took control of the empire at a time when it was undergoing great crisis...
supporter, Aureolus turned against Gallienus while fighting against PostumusMarcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus was a Roman emperor of Batavian origin. He usurped power from Gallienus in 260 and formed the so called Gallic Empire...
and his Gallic EmpireThe Gallic Empire is the modern name for a breakaway realm that existed from 260 to 274. It originated during the Roman Empire's Crisis of the Third Century....
. In 268, having surrendered to Emperor Claudius Gothicus after the death of Gallienus, Aureolus was murdered by the Praetorian Guard before Claudius could decide what to do with him.
Usurpers in the East
- 260-261 – Macrianus Major
Fulvius Macrianus , also called Macrianus Major, was a Roman usurper. He was one of Valerian's fiscal officers. More precisely, sources refer to him as being in the charge of the whole state accounts or, in the language of a later age, as count of the treasury and the person in charge of markets...
, Macrianus MinorTitus Fulvius Iunius Macrianus , also known as Macrianus Minor, was a Roman usurper. He was the son of Fulvius Macrianus, also known as Macrianus Major.Macrianus Minor's mother was of noble birth and her name, possibly, was Iunia...
, QuietusTitus Fulvius Iunius Quietus was a Roman usurper against Roman Emperor Gallienus.Quietus was the son of Fulvius Macrianus and a noblewoman, possibly named Iunia...
, and BalistaBalista or Ballista , also known in the sources with the probably wrong name of "Callistus", was one of the Thirty Tyrants of Historia Augusta, and supported the rebellion of Macriani against Emperor Gallienus....
, in the East. After ValerianPublius Licinius Valerianus , commonly known in English as Valerian or Valerian I, was the Roman Emperor from 253 to 260.-Origins and rise to power:...
's defeat, Gallienus was the only remaining emperor, but he was in the West. The Eastern army, needing a leader, offered the rule to Macrianus Major, a noble and wealthy man, but he refused because of his age and health. With the help of Balista, the Valerian prefectPrefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
who had defeated the Persians after the emperor's death, and with Valerian wealth he held from his office of procurator arcae et praepositus annonae in expeditione Persica, Macrianus Major made his two sons Macrianus Minor and Quietus emperors. While Quietus and Balista stayed in the East and in Egypt to secure their rule, Macrianus Major and Minor moved to Thrace, to counter Gallienus, ruler of Italy and Illyricum. However, Gallienus' general AureolusFor the Frankish ruler of Aragon, see Aureolus of Aragon.Aureolus was a Roman military commander and would-be usurper. He was one of the so-called Thirty Tyrants who populated the reign of the Emperor Gallienus. Of humble Thraco-Roman origins, he was 'made' by the Emperor Gallienus and proved...
defeated and killed in battle both the Macriani, while Quietus was killed by OdaenathusLucius Septimius Odaenathus, or Odenatus Lucius Septimius Odaenathus, or Odenatus Lucius Septimius Odaenathus, or Odenatus (Greek: (Hodainathos), , the Latinized form of Odainath, was a ruler of Palmyra, Syria and later of the short lived Palmyrene Empire, in the second half of the 3rd century,...
of PalmyraPalmyra was in ancient times an important city of central Syria, located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus and 120 km southwest of the Euphrates. It has long been a vital caravan city for travellers crossing the Syrian desert and was known as the Bride of the Desert...
.
- 261 – Piso
Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi was a Roman usurper, whose existence is questionable, as based only on the unreliable Historia Augusta....
and ValensValens Thessalonicus was a Roman usurper against Roman Emperor Gallienus.Valens was the proconsul of Achaea under Gallienus. When Macrianus rebelled to Gallienus, he met the opposition of Valens, so he sent Piso to put him to death....
, in AchaeaAchaea is an ancient province and a present prefecture of Greece, on the northern coast of the Peloponnese, stretching from the mountain ranges of Erymanthus and Cyllene on the south to a narrow strip of fertile land on the north, bordering the Gulf of Corinth, into which the mountain Panachaicus...
. The only source for these two usurpers is the Historia Augusta. Valens was the governor of Achaea, and remained loyal to Gallienus. In his march west, Macrianus sent Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi to counter Valens. Valens' troops proclaimed their commander emperor, and Piso's troops did the same with their commander. Piso was then killed by Valens, who was later killed by his own troops. The account of Achaea events made by Historia Augusta is very obscure and contains some forgeries, such as a senatus consultum granting Piso a statue.
- 261 – Mussius Aemilianus
Lucius Mussius Aemilianus was a Roman usurper.Mussius Aemilianus probably was of Italian stock. He was an officer in the Roman army under Philip the Arab and Valerian. Under the latter he became praefect of Egypt. He supported the rebellion of the Macriani against Gallienus...
, in Aegyptus Province. Mussius supported the MacrianiMacriani is the name of three Roman usurpers who tried to gain the Roman throne from Emperor Gallienus. They were:*Macrianus Major, the father*Macrianus Minor, first son*Quietus, second son...
rebellion, controlling Egypt. When the Macriani were defeated, he probably proclaimed himself emperor, but was defeated and killed by Aurelius TheodotusTheodotus is the name of three Early Christians:
*Theodotus of Byzantium *Theodotus of Ancyra *Theodotus of Ancyra It is also the name of some important Hellenistic men:...
, a general sent by Gallienus.
- 262 – Memor
Memor was a Roman usurper against Emperor Gallienus.Memor was a Northern African Roman official, responsible for the Egyptian grain supply to Rome. After the defeat of the Macriani usurpers, Emperor Gallienus sent his general Aurelius Theodotus to Egypt to secure his hold on the province....
was in Northern Africa. He projected a rebellion against Gallienus, but was killed by Theodotus.
Fictional usurpers
The author(s) of the
Historia Augusta which modern scholars consider a forgery, listed several other Gallienus usurpers in the book on the
Thirty TyrantsThe Thirty Tyrants were a series of thirty rulers that appear in the Historia Augusta as having ostensibly been pretenders to the throne of the Roman Empire during the reign of the emperor Gallienus....
, among which:
- Trebellianus
Trebellianus , also Trebatius Priscus or Trebatius Testa, was a Roman usurper listed among the thirty tyrants in the Historia Augusta...
– rebelled in IsauriaIsauria , in ancient geography, is a rugged isolated district in the interior of South Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering much of what is now Konya/Bozkir province of Turkey, or the core of the Taurus Mountains...
, gained control of Asia Minor, but was defeated by Camsisoleus, general of Gallienus, who was Egyptian and brother of Theodotus.
- Celsus
Titus Cornelius Celsus, Roman usurper under Gallienus, one of the Thirty Tyrants enumerated by Trebellius Pollio.In the twelfth year of Gallienus' reign , when usurpers were springing up in every quarter of the Roman world, a certain Celsus, who had never risen higher in the service of the state...
- fictional usurper of Africa. Allegedly proclaimed emperor by Vibius Passienus, proconsul-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a proconsul was a promagistrate who, after serving as consul, spent a year as a governor of a province...
of the province, and Fabius Pomponianus, general of the Libyan frontier. He ruled for seven days.
- Saturninus
Saturninus is mentioned in the Historia Augusta as a Roman usurper during the reign of emperor Gallienus . It is very probably a fictional construction by the author of the Historia Augusta....
– not to be confused with Julius SaturninusSextus Julius Saturninus was a Roman usurper against Emperor Probus.Julius Saturninus was a Gaul by birth and was a friend of Emperor Probus...
, usurper under ProbusMarcus Aurelius Probus was a Roman Emperor .A native of Sirmium , in Pannonia, at an early age he entered the army, where he distinguished himself under the Emperors Valerian, Aurelian and Tacitus...
, appears in the Historia Augusta as optimus ducum Gallieni temporis. According to this source, he was proclaimed emperor by his troops, but later killed by them for his severity. He is a fictional usurper, probably built on the model of Julius Saturninus.
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